Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) was an American statesman and the 16th President of the United States. He led the nation through the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and helped pave the way for the abolition of slavery. Re-elected in 1864, he was assassinated the following year. His best-known collection, "Lincoln Speeches," includes the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address, expressing his enduring ideas on democracy, liberty, equality, and national reconciliation.